Research In Motion Ltd., the maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, said it will begin selling a tablet computer in North America in the first quarter for “under” $500 as it takes on Apple Inc.’s iPad.

Here’s the thing: didn’t RIM say that you needed a Blackberry to pair with the PlayBook – so if that is the case then the PlayBook will be an accessory that costs more than what it is accessorizing((A BlackBerry)), no?

So you only have limited access to these things without a BlackBerry? It seems it works with apps and web content, but some things require a BlackBerry, not just any smart phone but RIM’s smartphones. Anything north of $200 seems overpriced for this to me.